Grieve Family Winery

2012 Sauvignon Blanc, Napa Valley

Fact Sheet

Vineyard Profile

We are dedicated to growing and producing distinctive Sauvignon Blanc from our Grieve Family estate vineyard located in a unique part of Napa called Lovall Valley. This valley is the coolest viticultural area in Napa County and sits just above Carneros, straddling the Sonoma/Napa county line between the towns of Sonoma and Napa.

We double-farm our vineyard, treating the north side of the vine differently from the south side due to the vineyard’s east/west row orientation and Sauvignon Blanc’s need for some sun exposure to achieve the best flavors. We also harvest twice to maximize the flavor intensity of each cluster picked. This process is difficult, labor intensive and expensive, but it allows us to make the best possible wine.

Size: 5.93 acres of clone 3

Vine Age: 13 years

Elevation: 650 feet

Density: 1,089 vines/acre

Vintage Report

2012 was the first warm vintage since 2007. There were nice bursts of hot weather, but nothing extreme, and the day-tonight temperature inversion was ideal. July was a bit hot, August was a bit cool, and September was perfect and dry, leading to a slightly earlier harvest in Lovall Valley.

The First PickWe harvested from the southern end of the vineyard on the morning of September 17. The acidity was amazingly high for the ripe flavors of honeydew and apricot we tasted in the fruit.

The Second PickThe northern portion of the vineyard was allowed to ripen for an additional 12 days, leading to more peach and mango flavors along with our persistent clone-3 lemongrass.

Harvest Dates: September 17 and 29

Yields: 2.21 tons/acre

Brix: 23.3° and 24.8°

Vinification

Fermentation: 40% stainless steel, 60% French oak

Aging: 8 months: 35% in new French oak, 35% in once-used French oak, 25% in stainless steel, 5% in concrete egg

Tasting Notes

We were fortunate that the entire first and second picks made it into the final blend, which is reminiscent of our 2008 and 2009 vintages. The nose jumps out of the glass with apricot, nectarine, peach, lemongrass, grapefruit, honeydew melon, toasted pine nut and hyacinth. The mouth-feel is explosive yet crisp, featuring a mouthwatering cornucopia of fruit. The crispness drives flavors of spring flowers, hyacinth, grapefruit, kaffir lime and cardamom. The beauty of this wine is the aromatics, the power of fruit and exotic flavors, the bright acidity and truly long finish that lingers and lingers.